The ratings for this weekend’s Game 7 matches are in, and they are impressive.
Excluding Stanley Cup Final matchups, Game 7 of the Western Conference Final between the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks set a record for the highest overnight ratings for the NHL on NBC. The local ratings were also record-setters in the Los Angeles and Chicago markets.
The 3.27 metered market rating also represents a bump up from last year’s Kings - Blackhawks Game 7, which was at 3.17. That’s pretty impressive considering how much more competitive Game 7 of the 2014 WCF was, eh?
The 26.6 HH rating in Chicago is also a new peak for non-Stanley Cup Final games for the Blackhawks, and it’s also the third-best mark overall. (Click here for more ratings bits, as the Ducks set similar marks in Los Angeles, at least for their team.)
Game 7 of the Tampa Bay Lightning - New York Rangers’ Eastern Conference Final wasn’t far behind on NBCSN, generating a 2.65 metered market rating. That’s the second-best ratings for an NHL game on NBCSN outside of SCF games (notice a trend?).
Long story short, those two Game 7 contests were great for NBC, NBCSN and the NHL. Perhaps Blackhawks - Lightning will set some records of its own?